The Police Service Commission (PSC) has said it will not abdicate its power to recruit police officers in the country.

There has been a dispute between the PSC and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over who has the power of recruitment.

The dispute got heightened after the PSC announced the commencement of the 2022 recruitment of Constables into the Force.

The Force Headquarters later said it had not commenced the recruitment process for the 2022 batch of Constables, contrary to a publication by the PSC.

However, the PSC, in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said the commission will not abdicate its constitutional mandate to recruit Nigerians into the Police Force.

He stated that the commission “is one of the Federal Executive Bodies captured in Section 153 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.”

Ani added: “Paragraph 29 and 30 of the third Schedule of the Constitution states that;

“The Commission shall have power to appoint persons to offices (other than office of the Inspection-General of Police) in the Nigeria Police Force; and

“Dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding any office referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph.

“Also Section 6 of the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act, 2001 provides as follows;

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“The Commission shall – Be responsible for the appointment and promotion of persons to offices (other than the office of the Inspector-General of Police) in Nigeria Police force:

“Dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons (other than the Inspector-General of Police) in the Nigerian Police Force;

“The Commission shall not be subject to the direction, control or supervision of any other authority or person in performance of its functions other than as is prescribed in this Act.

“This is also captured in Section 14 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020;

“The Commission has power to appoint such other persons to offices in the Police Force as are required for the effective and efficient performance of functions of the Police Force on such terms and conditions as maybe prescribed by the Commission.”

The PSC spokesperson further stated that the commission “is the only legal body charged with the responsibilities of recruitment into all the three entry points in the Nigeria Police Force, Constable, Cadet Inspector, and Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police.”

Ani added that the PSC’s recruitment portal which was opened on Monday, August 15, 2022, is still running with over 60,000 applications already received, noting that the portal will close on September 16, 2022.

“Interested Nigerians should continue to avail themselves of this opportunity to pursue a career in the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Commission has no intention to abdicate its constitutional mandate to recruit Nigerians into the Police Force.

“The Plenary will also consider promotion examinations for police officers in line with the provisions of the Public Service Rules and to ensure that merit is entrenched in the conduct of police promotions.

“The Commission will continue to work to improve the overall performance in the Nigeria Police and will also continue to provide the necessary platform for collaboration between the two agencies of government,” he stated.

The Star